Discusses the current status and future direction of science at liberal arts colleges. Summarizes findings of a conference attended by leaders of 50 private colleges and small universities on college science. States that students from small colleges fare well in later science endeavors. (ML)

Changes occuring in the student body of small private liberal arts colleges between 1975 and 1983 include shifts in college choice factors, the perceived importance of the school in getting a job after graduation, and cost considerations. Colleges must carefully develop new markets before crises occur. (MSE)

The small private college may be a better vehicle for recruiting a diverse student body into higher education than is commonly recognized. The only true competition in higher education is among a few well-endowed private institutions for the best students. It would be shortsighted to eliminate this sector.

Since 1964, colleges have been sending data to the College Board Validity Study Service in order to determine the degree to which measures used in admissions predict college performance. These studies have allowed for the monitoring of general trends in the relationship of SAT scores and high school grades with freshman grades. Beginning in the…

Emphasizes that private liberal arts colleges must compensate for declining enrollments by admitting students who are underprepared for college-level work, and discusses financial and attitudinal barriers to doing so. Reviews the problems encountered by Skidmore College and its responses, including its basic writing curriculum, writing lab, and…

A small, private, liberal arts college whose library had been found unsatisfactory during accreditation transformed the library by placing it in the same reporting structure as academic and administrative computing and telecommunications. Application of strategic planning and organizational theory smoothed the transition by modifying central…

Reports on a survey of bibliographic instruction at 27 small private liberal arts colleges. Compared to findings of similar surveys at larger academic institutions, small colleges lack the faculty and administrative support, procedures for evaluation, and specific goals for library instruction programs found at larger institutions. A copy of the…

A number of small, private, liberal arts colleges have abolished Greek systems on campus and vowed to quash student attempts to establish off-campus fraternities and sororities. Some argue that a ban on fraternities denies students their constitutional right to freedom of association. A nonbinding resolution recently passed in Congress may support…

Saint Francis College (SFC), in Pennsylvania, is a private, Catholic, coeducational institution of 1,200 full-time undergraduates. Over 55 percent of the student body is enrolled in pre-professional majors; majors in the traditional liberal arts now account for only 13 percent of the student population. Faculty some time ago began to question…

This paper reports on a 1992 follow-up survey of graduates of Virginia Wesleyan College (VWC). The target population of 1,110 graduates from the classes of 1987 through 1992 were surveyed, and 576 responded (51.9 percent). The survey sought information on demographics, enrollment history, evaluation of cognitive and affective outcomes, overall…

A project to help small independent liberal arts colleges integrate technology and the liberal arts in the undergraduate curriculum is considered in this newsletter issue. The first two stages of this project on Technology and the Liberal Arts, which is sponsored by the Council of Independent Colleges, are described, along with the progress of…

In examining research on the characteristics and problems of small/rural community colleges, one finds that a consistent definition of 'rural' does not exist, and that most research has traditionally focused on the differences between private and public colleges, not between small and large institutions. Research indicates that: (1) classes tend…

The planning model was designed to enable independent colleges to come to grips with both the concerns and the expectations of affirmative action. It is divided into three parts: (1) a broad statement about the procedures and expectations of equal employment opportunity, presented from the perspective of a hypothetical small independent college;…

Teacher preparation programs in California are governed by standards established by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CCTC). In September 1998, pursuant to Senate Bill 2042 (SB2042), California's recent comprehensive teacher credentialing legislation, the Commission launched an extensive effort on standards and assessment…

Virginia Wesleyan College, a small liberal arts college, recently conducted four major student satisfaction assessment projects. In particular, the institution wanted to know how students evaluated their educational experiences and how they evaluated college programs and services. The assessment projects, conducted during the 1991-92 and 1992-93…